What to do in Paris and Online in January

Phew! We’ve just about made it to 2021. And what a relief it is. But while a New Year is about to begin, the effects of Covid-19 are unfortunately still being felt in Paris. Museums, theaters, and cinemas remain closed until at least January 7, and restaurants, cafés, and bars are not projected to open until the 20th. The good news is, you can still eat some cake, do some online shopping (the soldes are coming!), and catch a virtual event or two, whether you’re in Paris or not. Here is a selection of what to do (online) in Paris in January.

Fêtes des Rois / The Epiphany – Jan 6

Epiphany is a religious holiday commemorating the day the three wise men, also known as kings, visited Jesus’ manger. But regardless of your religious background, in France, fêtes des rois (Kings’ Day) is a popular time to celebrate the New Year by eating galette des rois (Kings’ Cake). You’ll find the cake in boulangeries and pâtisseries throughout January. And you don’t have to be in France to celebrate. Make your own using American expat in Paris David Leibovitz’s recipe.

Left: a Galette de Rois cake on a gold platter. There is a paper gold crown on top, and a window with greenery in the background. Right: a pastry shop on a corner in Paris. The awning is white with large pink stripes and the word "Patisserie" is written in dark lettering on it. There are a few people standing on the sidewalk in front of it. — Top: Kazuo Ota / Above: mollyjwilk / Sophie Louisnard

Université Populaire – Musée du Quai Branly – Jan 6, 13, 20 & 27

The 2020-2021 season of the Musée du Quai Branly’s Université Populaire program focuses on the question où va le monde (where is the world going)? This series of conferences explores current issues such as global warming, demographic imbalances, the depletion of scarce resources, and global migration to better understand the world of tomorrow. You can watch the conferences via the museum’s YouTube channel.

Left: an advertisement for "La population mondiale à l'horizon" by "Université Populaire." The background is yellow and the lettering is black. There is a piece of artwork (two gold alligators wound together) to the right of the ad. Right: an advertisement for Feminist in the City's "Qu'est-ce que le Drag?" The background is a man with a beard wearing pink lipstick and bringing his finger to his mouth as if to say "Shh" with a bright pink fingernail. The lettering is white. — Université Populaire / Feminists in the City

Les Soldes – Jan 20-Feb 16

One of the two big sale periods in France begins on January 20, the winter soldes. Lasting for four weeks, this is the time to grab those items you’ve been eyeing for a while at a reduced price. If you’re not in France, you can still take advantage of the sales by shopping online from stores that ship internationally.

Left: a woman looking in a bookstore's window. There are books, cards, and Christmas decorations visible. The store front is painted a light blue. Right: a covered passageway in Paris. At the end of the passageway there is a bright teal store front. The stores on either side are brown. There are a few people walking around. — Megan Markham / Sophie Louisnard

Chez Loulou France – Jan 9, 16 & 30

Jennifer Greco from the blog Chez Loulou France is an American cheese educator based in Paris. She has a personal project to taste each and every one of France’s almost 1500 cheeses! You can take her French Cheese Fundamentals workshops online. The workshop on Jan 9 is on pairings, Jan 16 covers the basics, and Jan 30 is about cheese boards.

Left: an aerial view of two wooden cutting boards with cheese, fruit, nuts, and jam on them. There are two cheese knives visible. It is a white table. Right: A woman wearing a pink dress and a gray cardigan placing a Galette de Rois cake on a white table in a kitchen. There are mugs and plates on the table and a white jug. A black Smeg fridge is visible in the background as well as a coffee maker. — chezlouloufrance / melanimagin

Feminists in the City – Various Dates

Feminists in the City are hosting more online masterclasses this month. There’s “Les femmes artistes au XXe siècle” on the 3^rd, “Qu’est-ce que le Drag?” on the 5^th, “Les femmes révolutionnaires” on the 19^th, and “La vie de Simone de Beauvoir” on the 31^st. They also have online ateliers such as “Pratiquez le collage féministe” on the 17^th, “Décodez le male gaze dans l’art” on the 23^rd, and “Qu’est-ce que le féminisme” on the 27^th.

Visite Virtuelle Live – Paris ZigZag – Various Dates

This month, Paris ZigZag also have more live virtual visits on offer. “Le Paris du Crime” and “Le Paris Coquin” are both on the 3^rd and the 17^th, while “Les Catacombs de Paris” is on the 10^th.

2 comments on “What to do in Paris and Online in January”

Clare

January 2, 2021 at 10:49 am

The soldes have actually been postponed this year. They’ll start two weeks later, on 20 Jan (and not on 6 Jan).

Ali Postma

January 3, 2021 at 3:07 pm

Hi Clare, I’ve just read about that – thanks for letting us know!